Lock Up The Cats And Bring On Oz Vessalius
by GothicBlackStar
Summary: There's an old saying around here: If you stay out past midnight, he will find you. But he'll only show up if all the cats in the village are locked up indoors. No one really knows why.
1. Lock Up The Cats

Author's Notes.

This was a short story I wrote during English class. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pandora Hearts.

* * *

There's an old saying here: They say that if you stay out past midnight, _he_ will find you. But he'll only show up if all the cats in the village are locked up indoors.

No one really knows why.

And on one hot summer's night, an orphan by the name of Oz, was going to test this theory.

The energetic blonde looked looked over his shoulder to see his companions running up to him. Hopefully they had succeeded in their mission.

"Did you do it?" Oz shouted, he didn't even wait for the other boys to take a breath.

"We think so." One of the boys replied. He was a lot taller than the other boy beside him.

"I did most of it! Me!" The smaller boy announced loudly.

"Of course you did, Philippe," Oz said as he ruffled the younger boy's hair playfully, "You did find them all, right, James?" He added as his emerald eyes looked up at the other boy.

"Think so. There's probably some at the orphanage though." The taller boy, James, replied.

"Then we better get back! Come on!" Oz yelled with enthusiasm and ran off through the village.

James and Philippe sighed lightly. Their legs were tired from all the work they had done, but they knew that Oz wasn't going to stop.

* * *

The three boys burst through the Orphanage's doors and were greeted by the face of one of their carers who took charge of the Orphanage ever since the last carer had abandoned them.

His sharp, blue, eyes looked over their faces slowly.

"In a hurry?" He asked and walked around them to close the door.

"Yes!" Philippe yelled with excitement, "We're trying to bri-" Before the young boy could finish his words, both Oz and James covered his mouth and began dragging him away.

"We just wanted to make it back home in time for dinner!" Oz said with a wide smile, "Bye, Elliot!" He added before disappearing around a corner, dragging Philippe along with him.

Elliot watched the three go with a raised eyebrow and shook his head slightly. He then turned back to the window he had been cleaning and yelped when he saw a figure standing on the other side. But when he blinked, the stranger was gone.

* * *

Oz, James and Philippe ran through the hallways and gathered every cat they could find and stored them in their bedroom. They never really knew how many cats the Orphanage owned until they had gathered all eighty-five of them.

"Okay!" Oz yelled, clapping his hands together, "Now we have to shut all the windows and cat-flaps." He stated loudly.

"Why?" Philippe asked, raising a hand.

"Because that's the only way to summon _him._" Oz replied loudly.

But before they could go ahead with their devious plans, the dinner bell rang.

"Darn!" Oz yelled. He then walked closer to the other boys and began whispering, "Here's the plan: While we're eating, James has to choke and we use that distraction." He stated with a small smile.

"Use it for what?" Philippe whispered after a moment of silence.

Oz narrowed his eyes at the younger boy, "Change of plan: You'll choke at the dinner table." He said darkly.

* * *

The three boys sat at the large dinner table together and ate their meal in disappointment.

How were they supposed to choke on... soup?

Oz smiled to himself as a thought crossed his mind. He fiendishly reached his arm over the table to grab the jug of juice and "accidentally" knocked James' soup bowl over.

The hot contents poured over the orphan and Oz tried to hide the smile on his lips.

"What happened?!" Elliot's voice yelled after the room erupted in James' cries.

Oz grabbed Philippe's arm and dragged him out of the dining room.

They ran though the Orphanage and closed all the windows and cat-flaps, and then released the felines from their bedroom.

Oz smiled to himself as he watched the 'cat-tsunami' pour from his room.

"And now we play the waiting game." He whispered darkly to himself.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Oz felt his heart jump from fright and excitement.

He carefully made his way to the stairway and sat down on one of the middle steps. His emerald eyes peered through the railed banister and he saw Elliot's valet, Leo, answer the door.

"Elliot!" Leo yelled in his oddly feminine voice, "_He's_ here." He said.

Oz's eyes widened as he watched a man step into the hallway and his emerald eyes caught the sight of golden ones.

Oz yelped loudly when a hand touched his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Philippe's voice asked.

Oz sighed loudly and peered back through the banister. But there was no one there anymore.

"_He's _here." Oz whispered to the younger boy and made his way downstairs.

Philippe followed eagerly and held Oz's hand tightly, "Already? But the sun hasn't gone down yet." He whispered in a tiny voice.

Oz ignored the younger boy and made his way to Elliot's office. The two listened intently to the muffled voices on the other side, but they couldn't understand anything that was being said.

Oz leant closer to the door, but tripped and it fell open. He landed inside the office and everyone looked down at him in surprise.

"It's you!" Oz yelled as he pointed a finger at the golden-eyed stranger sitting in the corner of the room.

"Who?" Elliot asked with annoyance and rolled his eyes.

"I made him come here tonight! I'm sorry!" Oz said frantically and stood up.

The golden-eyed man looked at the other men in the room, "What exactly did you do?" He asked slowly.

"I... I locked up all the cats in the village!" Oz cried.

Elliot and Leo shared a confused look.

"Oz, this is Gilbert. He's the new town's sherif." Elliot stated with a large sigh.

"What? ...Sherif?" Oz repeated slowly.

"Yes. I arrived this afternoon." Gilbert said and stood up from his chair. He held a hand out to Oz and the younger boy shook it nervously.

"I'm...Oz.." He replied slowly.

"I know," Gilbert said and withdrew his hand, "Elliot was telling me all about you." He explained simply.

"Yes," Elliot muttered, "Well if that's all, Mister Gilbert." He said speaking louder this time.

"Yes. Thank you for your time," Gilbert said and walked over to the door, "I'll let myself out." He added and then left.

"You should leave too, Oz," Elliot said and leant back his chair, "We'll discuss the cat-matter tomorrow." He added.

Oz nodded and darted from the room, grabbing the hiding Philippe as he went.

Leo walked over to the door and closed it gently.

"Why the hell would someone lock up the cats in the village?" Elliot asked with a frown.

"He was probably trying to bring about the old saying." Leo replied as he began to take various books from the bookshelf in the corner of the room.

"You mean... No. Why would he do that?" Elliot questioned nervously.

"Curiousity," Leo answered simply and looked over at his master, "Don't look so frightened, Elliot. It's just an old story." He said lightly.

Elliot nodded and nervously muttered a "You're right," in response.

But they were both oblivious to the man looking at them through the window.


	2. The Tale of the Abyss

Author's Notes.

This was originally going to be a one-shot, something that I had just written for English class. But now I've decided to go ahead and make it a story! (Although I' m not entirely sure where the whole plot is actually going at this rate.) I suppose it's the kind of story one would write around this time of year, the wicked day is soon to come people.

I hope you enjoy. Feel free to ask questions and such. R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pandora Hearts.

* * *

Oz knew that somewhere in the town, there was proof that the old saying was true.

He could have always left at least _one_ cat out, it was a simple mistake to make. The whole town was a place for cat-lovers, and that was a down-sider for anyone who wanted to lock them all up at once.

Then again, Oz was just a twelve-yeard-old orphan, it's not like he had the power to control the town.

The blonde boy sighed and rolled over in his bed. On any other night he could easily drown out the clattering of the windows and the creaking of the floorboards. But tonight seemed louder than usual. And there was a new noise lingering in the cold air.

Oz shared a room with two other orphans, Philippe and James. The room wasn't very large and the only furniture it had were the three bedside tables and an old cupboard, which the three shared their clothing in.

Oz's bed was located on the left side of the room, and the small window sat across from the foot of his bed, which allowed a bright line of the moon's light to creep over the blonde's bed.

Philippe's bed was located on the right side of the room, and James' bed was sat against the wall just below the small window.

James always snored loudly in his sleep. It was irritating and unbearable, but that seemed to be the only noise that didn't bother Oz tonight.

The blonde sighed once again and gripped his pillow tightly, before shutting his emerald eyes and tried to sleep once more.

It seemed like the wrong time to close his eyes however, because he didn't get to notice the tall shadow passing the window and blocking the moonlight for a split second.

* * *

Morning arrived all too soon. To Oz, it had just felt as though he had closed his eyes for a minute and then reopened them in time to hear the bell ring.

The orphans went about their normal routines and got themselves ready for another day. Only, for Oz, he had a slightly different task after breakfast; he was called to Elliot's office.

The blonde entered the room slowly and sat down on a chair in front of Elliot's large desk. The older man groaned and leant forward in his chair, towards the blonde across from him.

"Why did you lock up all the town's cats? You don't really expect to make the old saying come true, do you?" The beige-haired man questioned.

Oz avoided his carer's blue eyes and looked towards the wooden floorboards.

Elliot sighed and leant back into his large chair. He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But I don't want you to do it again. And this afternoon, after your lessons, I want you to apologise to everyone." He stated sternly.

Oz nodded slowly and stood up from the uncomfortable chair. He quickly escaped the office and ran through the halls to his first lesson of the day.

Normally he wouldn't skip lessons, he was generally a good student and he was a lot smarter than he looked. But today, he only attended one lesson and then ran off to the orphanage's library.

Most of the books there were too adult and complicated for children, so that meant that the room was almost always empty. The blonde scanned the cluttered books in the shelves until he came across the one he wanted.

It wasn't a very large book, it didn't even have a title and it's black cover was peeling off. Philippe and him had come across it one day when they had been playing football inside. Oz had kicked the ball and it collided with one of the bookcases, sending books everywhere. It had been the last one they had picked up from the pile they had created and ever since then, Oz was drawn to it for some reason.

No one was allowed to take books from the library. So this was, quite frankly, the only place he could read it.

The blonde pulled the book out from the shelf and slumped to the floor. He opened the torn and tattered cover and flipped through the delicate pages until he landed on a section which read '_The Tale of the Abyss_'. He never really understood why it was named that. 'Abyss' meant a dark, unsightly, place. But this tale didn't seem to have one.

Or maybe he had missed the moral of the tale.

The blonde cleared his throat and began to read aloud:

"There's an old saying around here; they say that if you stay out past midnight, _HE_ will find you. But he'll only show up if all the cats in the village have been locked indoors. No one really knew why," He paused for a moment and considered that perhaps it hadn't worked because they lived a town and not a village, he then shook his head and continued:

"_HE'S _most likely to show up when the moon is out, for his form can only be viewed in moonlight. Fortunately, _HE_ cannot enter a house unless he has been invited inside. However, he can enter a house when there are no adults, without an invitation. Once he is summoned, he will not leave-"

"-until _HE _devours a fitting sacrifice." Another voice finished.

Oz screamed slightly and shut the book. He then looked up to see Elliot's valet, Leo.

"You should be taking lessons right now." The young man stated and began to lazily scan through the books on the shelves.

Oz stood up and put the book he'd been reading back, he nervously looked up at the dark-haired man and cleared his throat.

"Leo? You used to be an orphan in this very same orphanage. So, you've probably been in this town the longest, right?" Oz said slowly.

Leo didn't avert his gaze from the bookcase, but he did nod and reply with a, "Hmmm?" In question, and pulled a large book from a shelf.

Oz bit his lip lightly and hesitated before speaking again, "Is _The Tale of the Abyss_ real?"

There was a small silence in the air and Leo finally turned to look at the younger boy.

"_The Tale of the Abyss_ was a story created to keep children in their beds at night. It's just an old story," He stated bluntly and stepped aside, raising an arm towards the doorway, "You should return to your lessons now." He added.

Oz didn't hesitate and ran out of the room. He knew that Leo seemed subdued and laid-back, but he always seemed to put the other orphans off. He had an eerie vibe about him that no one could describe.

Leo waited until Oz had disappeared from his sight and then walked over to where the small, black, book was.

He put the book he had been holding on the floor and slowly retrieved the old, torn, book from the shelf. He opened it up and flipped through the pages until he reached where Oz had read up to.

"A sacrifice in order to rid _HIM_ of this world would be an act of sin out of holiness; for your sin, is your very being." He slowly read aloud.

While his light voice filled the small, dusty, room; the floorboards began to creak rapidly and the windows began clattering hysterically.


	3. Star-Crossed Apologies

Author's Notes

Hello, hello. *Big sigh* I hadn't written a chapter last week because we were on half-term, (And I write these chapters in English class) So here's the next chapter! (I never knew that this story would get so much attention, It's crazy!) *Bows, bows* Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pandora Hearts.

* * *

Once his lessons were over, Oz stepped out of the Orphanage with the company of James and Philippe. Despite the fact that Elliot had told Oz alone to apologise to everyone in town, the blonde had told his roommates that they were at fault just as much as he was.

"Oz? How long do you think this will take? I'm hungry..." Philippe whined quietly and clutched at his rumbling stomach.

"It will probably go quicker if we all split up." Oz suggested and looked over his shoulder at his companions with a small smile.

James and Philippe nodded in agreement and they began running off towards the east of the town, leaving Oz to deal with the west of the town to apologise to. Overall, the town was fairly small. All around there were incredibly high walls, which always gave the town a dim look. Oz always thought it was odd as to how someone would build a town in a deep trench, sure, it gave the whole atmosphere a sort of comfort and security. But it also had it's down-sider, especially when it would get cold.

The blonde didn't waste time and began heading off towards the houses lined up at both sides of his vision. He was glad that the Orphanage was built roughly in the middle of the town towards the south, he couldn't bear the thought of having a window that held the view of the horizon outside of the town. A place that Oz had never been to before, a place that none of the other children at the Orphanage had been before.

Well, at least that was what everyone had told him.

The young boy walked up to the first house and stood up on the small wooden porch that seemed to creak very uneasily under his weight, he stood patiently in the warm breeze that ruffled at his hair and surveyed the practically deserted streets around him. The sun was at it's highest now, and that brightened up the town in a dull orange colour.

Finally the door opened and a woman stood on the other side. Her pink eyes were wide and curious, and her pink hair had been pulled back into a tight bun that rested at the top of her head, leaving two long streaks of her to cascade down her cheeks. She wore a tight fitting dress that grew larger and larger, and more flowing, at the hip.

"Good evening Oz," She greeted and crossed her gloved arms lazily, "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to apologise for locking your cat up last night," The blonde boy said in a small, awkward, voice, "I'm sorry, Miss Charlotte." He added and looked down towards the wooden porch.

Charlotte raised a pink eyebrow and a small, amused, smile appeared on her face. She leant against the door frame, totally losing the the elegant Lady-like look, and hooked a finger under Oz's chin and made him look up at her.

"You were very sweet to for coming to apologise, but to be honest I hadn't even realised that Leon was locked inside until this morning," She said with a light laugh, "How did you do it?" She asked, her eyes growing wide with interest.

Oz gulped and quickly tried to think of an answer. He couldn't tell her the truth, Charlotte would surely tell Elliot and then he'd be scowled.

"Well, I just bought Leon home and asked Miss Lily to keep him inside for the night." Oz replied with a convincing smile.

Charlotte stood straight once more and dusted her skirts down as she spoke, "That's understandable, Lily will do anything if she thinks it's a game."

Before the older woman could say any more, there was a loud bark followed by what sounded like a vase crashing. Charlotte growled lowly and quickly said a quick goodbye to Oz before shuting the door and yelling at the dog, Bandersnatch.

The young boy didn't hesitate to run off to the next house, and the next, until he eventually made it to the Mayor's house. Oz nervously stepped up to the large house; not because he would be apologising for locking up the Mayor's cats, not because he wasn't used to apologising, but because of a certain person that lived in the large house before him.

He reached out for the doorknocker and tapped it rapidly, it didn't take long for someone to open it.

"Yes?" The man who answered it was fairly tall, had red-eyes and short-scruffy brown hair. The townsfolk knew him as "Cheshire."

Oz slowly peered up at the older man, but his attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere, towards someone else in the house.

The Mayor's daughter; Lady Katrina Regnard Rainsworth.

Cheshire noticed Oz's staring at the young lady, and quickly stood in front of him and blocked his vision, "Did you want something?" He asked, growing impatient.

Oz blinked rapidly and took a step back before turning his gaze up to Cheshire.

"I just wanted to apologise for locking up all your cats last night." The blonde blurted all in one rush.

Cheshire raised an eyebrow and began to close the door, "You're forgiven. Goodbye." He said with no real meaning in his words.

"Wait!" A voice called out, and Cheshire stopped closing the door. Oz's eyes beamed as he saw the owner of the voice approaching.

"Lady Katrina!" Both Oz and Cheshire said at once and bowed in her direction.

"Stop calling me 'Lady', and call me 'Trina.' I don't know why Papa makes up these names." The young girl spoke louder than a Lady would, and she held her skirts up as she ran towards the front door, revealing her stockings and shoes.

Oz blushed slightly and averted his gaze. Cheshire, on the other hand, was staring wide-eyed at the young girl and his jaw hung open slightly.

"My Lady!" Cheshire began, "You should know better than to-"

Trina didn't wait to hear her servant's words. Instead, she just handed him a piece of candy and stepped outside with Oz and closed the door behind her.

Oz didn't know how to react at first, he just stared at the younger girl's red eye and strawberry-silver hair. Her facial features and appearance was a lot like her Mother's, Sharon Rainsworth's, appearance. But her attitude and persona was just a female version of her Father's, Xerxes Break's, personality.

"Cheshire probably forgot, but he was going to deliver a letter to the Orphanage this evening." The younger girl began.

Oz just slowly nodded in response. His eyes still full of admiration and his mouth slightly open in awe.

"Well, I figured that seeing as you're here now, I could give you the letter to give to your Carer." Trina suggested and handed out a carefully, sealed, envelope.

Oz didn't register the fact that an item was being handed to him, until Trina started waving a hand in his face.

"Yes! Of course, leave it me!" The blonde blurted and took the letter from the younger girl.

Trina smiled and her red eye looked off towards the dirt-filled streets. Oz had always wondered why her other eye was hidden behind an eyepatch, but he'd never had the guts to ask.

"I should return now," Trina began and folded her hands over her skirts, turning 'Lady-mode', "Mama and Papa will be expecting me for dinner shortly." She stated and turned back towards the door.

"Goodbye," Oz had spoken up, but the younger girl was already inside before he could finish, "...Trina."

* * *

**A/N**

Ah, this chapter didn't really have a lot of suspense in it. But I figured we should get to know the townsfolk a little better. And yes, Trina is an OC. I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, I can assure you that I have big plans for future chapters.

Reviews are appreciated! *Bows, bows*


	4. Take The Advantage!

Author's Notes.

Hello, hello, hi! This story... To be honest I had no idea where it was going OTL, (It was supposed to be a ONE-SHOT!) but now I have the entire plot in my head and it's actually going to have an ending! Of course we're no where near completion, but still! Thank you for the support, review if you like, much appreciated! *Bows, bows*

Disclaimer: I don't own Pandora Hearts.

* * *

Oz ran back to the Orphanage after reuniting with James and Philippe. The three had finished apologising to the townsfolk and had received friendly forgiveness, mostly.

Oz turned to look over at the orphans following behind, and then he looked down at the letter in his hands. He hadn't told them about his visit to the Mayor's house, but there was nothing to say; all he had done was apologise for locking the cats up and had been given a letter...From the Mayor's daughter.

The doors to the Orphanage opened up just as the three approached the building.

"Elliot has been waiting for you," The feminine voice of Leo drifted towards them as the young valet stepped out through the doors, "You've been gone for hours." He added and walked off down the dusted streets.

"Where's he goin'?" Philippe whined and walked into the Orphanage.

"Probably goin' shoppin'" James replied and followed the younger boy inside.

Oz didn't follow straight away. He was too busy watching Leo leave. But he never got to see where the dark-haired man went, because the blonde boy was suddenly distracted by a shadow from the corner of his eye.

Oz whipped his head around in the shadow's direction, but there was no-one to see. The blonde looked to his left and right to be one hundred percent sure that he was alone. He sighed heavily and looked back to Leo; but there was nothing there anymore either.

* * *

"From the Mayor?" Elliot questioned and raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

Oz nodded and held the letter out towards his Carer.

Elliot sighed deeply and took the letter. He didn't open it though, he just gave it a quick glance-over and dropped it onto his desk simply.

Oz frowned at the older man's actions, he opened his mouth to say something but Elliot beat him to it: "Do you know how long you were out apologising for?"

"I hadn't realised it had gotten so late." Oz mumbled and looked towards the wooden floor.

"For God's sake Oz! You took more time apologising than you did to lock up the damn felines!" Elliot snapped with impatience.

Oz couldn't help but smirk slightly. Typical Elliot. It was obvious that he cared for the orphans: but that didn't stop his temper from boiling over, nor did it stop him from using a few curse words every now and again.

"What are you smiling at?!" The beige-haired Carer yelled.

Oz tried not to laugh as he replied: "I just... I just took a while to a..polo...gi..se..." By now the blonde boy was erupting in fits of giggles.

All Elliot could do was slowly raise an eyebrow and stare at the orphan in confusion.

"Just go and join the others at the table." Elliot eventually sighed.

Oz nodded and hopped off of the uncomfortable chair and darted from the room: still in fits of laughter.

* * *

The sun had gone down by the time the orphans had finished their dinner, and Oz darted off towards the library. He was a little surprised to see Philippe and James sitting in the corner. The two looked up as the blonde entered the room.

"Hello!" Philippe yelled enthusiastically.

"Hey," Oz replied and looked over at the dusty bookshelves filling the room, "I didn't expect to see you two in here." The blonde added in a quiet voice.

James frowned, "You're not the only one that comes here you know." He stated and went back to reading with Philippe.

Oz didn't say anything else. Instead, he went searching for the familiar, small, black, book. His emerald eyes widened when he noticed that the bookshelf, which held the small book, was empty.

"Where is it?!" Oz frantically questioned as he ran back over to Philippe and James.

"Where's what?" Philippe asked with a hint of worry in his tone.

Before Oz could reply, a noise came from outside.

All three orphans looked over towards the rattling window and rapidly asked their minds whether or not is was a good idea to approach it.

"What was that...?" Philippe asked in a small whisper.

"I don't know.." Oz replied quietly.

The blonde slowly took a step forward and flinched as the floorboards creaked under his weight. It seemed that the whole atmosphere had been engulfed in silence and tension, and nothing else could be heard a part from the rattling window and the creaking floorboards.

As Oz continued to boldly approach the window, the small light-bulb that hung from the ceiling began to flicker rapidly until it eventually went out. Leaving the only light-source being the moonlight that was pouring in through the window.

Philippe gave a small whimper of fright and hugged himself in fear. Oz, however, didn't stop moving forward and finally peered out of the window.

The rattling and the creaking suddenly stopped as the blonde's emerald gaze examined the dark streets of the town outside.

He sighed with relief and looked over his shoulder at his companions: "I think it's gone-" Before the blonde could finish, he turned his gaze back towards the window and yelled in fright as he saw a face staring back at him.

He fell back to the floor and quickly ran from the room with James and Philippe. They continued running until they reached the staircase beside the front door.

"The...All the lights are off." James stated through intakes of breath.

Oz nodded and looked towards the door as the handle began to turn.

"It's _him_!" Philippe screeched quietly.

"No," Oz began and slowly backed up on the staircase, "He can only come inside if he's been invited..."

"Or if there aren't any adults in the house!" James argued quietly, also backing away.

"But... Only Leo's out! Elliot's still here!" Oz whispered harshly.

"W...what if he's g-gone to the saloon?!" Philippe questioned, holding back tears.

Oz gulped and watched as the handle turned, ready to open up the door any second.

"We can chase _him_ out!" The blonde said and took a step closer, "We have the advantage! We can jump _him_ and _he_ wouldn't expect it!" He added.

Philippe and James shared a look before slowly nodding. They walked forward and awaited the door to open.

And when it did... They pounced!


	5. Mistakes Are Tricky Things

Author's Notes

*Bows, bows* Hello, Hello, hi. This may be a shorter chapter than previous ones, I've been busy lately and I had almost forgot to update... OTL

And for those of you who are wondering what time this story is set in: It's set in Cowboy & Indian times. Western-style-life type. Sheriffs, Brothels, Saloons, Horses, Guns. That type of time.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pandora Hearts.

* * *

The dimly lit room made it impossible to tell who, or what, the orphans had jumped on. But they didn't need lights to tell them that whatever they had jumped on landed roughly and went crashing down onto the porch outside of the open door.

"Ha!" Oz cried victoriously, "We caught you! You can't escape!" He added and quickly stood back up and darted towards the groaning figure.

The blonde stopped in his tracks however once his emerald eyes met dark abysmal eyes which seemed to stare right back at him.

"AGH! Kill it!" Philippe screamed in fright and reached for the large vase that sat at the foot of the staircase.

Just as the three orphans were about to finish off the intruder, a voice stopped them in their movements.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Elliot suddenly came down the hall wearing only a pair of pajama trousers.

"It's _him_! It's _him_!" Philippe yelled and pointed frantically at the figure on the porch who was slowly struggling to stand, "_He's _here to attack us all and eat our souls!" The young boy added.

Elliot frowned and quickly pushed the three aside to see who they were referring to.

"Are you all off your heads?!" The beige man yelled angrily and quickly helped the figure up, "Why the hell would you attack Leo?!"

Oz and his companions shared confused expressions as their Carer helped his valet to his feet.

"We just..." Oz began and looked frantically between the older men, "He just... Looked so different without his glasses on." The blonde lied. They didn't even know ho had been behind the door until they had pounced, let alone the fact that Leo had been wearing his glasses until they tackled him to the floor.

"If you're not going to give me straight replies, you can all go to your room! I will not take fake crap as an answer!" Elliot yelled and pointed towards the staircase.

Oz didn't hesitate and took the option to leave. He ran up the stairs, missing three steps at a time. He darted through the halls and threw his bedroom door open harshly before throwing himself onto his bed and burying himself under the covers.

He told himself not to cry like a baby over the situation. He reminded himself that he had grown out of that and he fought well in holding back tears.

Within a few moments, he was fast asleep.

"I don't know why they'd send me this kind of letter." Elliot sighed and leant further back into the bath.

From across the room, Leo had been making his Master his morning tea, but he had stopped halfway upon hearing the older man complain.

"May I ask what it's about?" The noirette valet asked.

Elliot lazily hung his arm over the side of the bath and held the letter at arms-length with his other hand, "The distant relatives of Lady Sheryl Rainsworth will arrive by Wednesday afternoon." He read aloud in a fake-amused voice.

Leo finished making the tea and walked over to Elliot. He placed the tray over the top of the bath and set the cup on a small plate before handing it to the beige-haired man.

"Mat I?" Leo inquired. Elliot gave a small shrug and handed the letter to the young man in exchange for the tea.

With any other Master and Servant there wouldn't be any sharing in the department of things such as Letters, private meetings, personal visits, and certain guests. But Elliot never really had the patience to keep such things from Leo. After all, your valet serves you until the end. And if you can't build a relationship such as that with trust, what can you do?

But sometimes it wasn't just trust for Elliot. Leo had a sixth sense when it came to suspicious characters, and Elliot knew that if he himself missed something: Leo wouldn't.

"Rufus Barma?" Leo frowned as he read through the letters.

"What about him?" Elliot asked and took a sip from his tea as he looked up at his valet.

By now the noirette's cheek had turned a deep shade of purple, as well as the skin just below his left eye had turned a bright pink and was swelling by the minute. All from where Oz and the others had tackled him.

"He's from the East I believe. Apparently him and Lady Sheryl had a brief relation before Lady and Sharon was born." The valet stated and handed the letter back.

Elliot simply threw it down onto the tray that loomed over his body, "I doubt we'll be able to make the welcome party," He began and finished his drink, "We won't be able to bring the kids, that's for sure." He stated bluntly.

"Surely they can be trusted for a single evening alone?" Leo hinted and picked up the tray once again and walked across the room to set it aside.

Elliot temporarily laid his head back in the soapy water and muttered a: "I'll think about it." He then stood up and stubbornly swiped the bubbles from his arms.

"Let's just see how well behaved they'll be today." He groaned and stepped out of the tub.

Leo came to his side and put a towel over his Master's shoulders before the draining the water.

"Yes. I think that's a good idea." the noirette agreed with a small smile.

* * *

A/N

This chapter didn't have a lot of Oz in it did it? I apologise for that, but I decided that Elliot and Leo needed a scene together, (and not just a quick five second read,) The plot should pick in the next chapter though.

As always leave a review or whatever, all is appreciated. *Bows, bows*


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